Throughout his illustrious acting career, which included an Oscar-nominated performance for "In the Bedroom" (2001) which put him on the Hollywood map, Tom Wilkinson enjoyed wide prominence without having to suffer the burden of being a household name. True to his working class roots, Wilkinson remained relatively low-key and distinctly non-Hollywood, despite having starred in some of the new millennium's most significant films. He made his breakthrough the previous decade, however, starting with Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) and followed with "The Full Monty" (1997), a surprising hit in the United States despite its origins across the pond. He went on to play major roles in a wide array of films, from small independents like "In the Bedroom" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002) to Hollywood blockbusters like "Rush Hour" (1998) and "Batman Begins" (2005). Wilkinson delivered a memorable turn as the inventor of an experimental memory-erasing technique in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) and was a high-profile corporate attorney who loses his mind in "Michael Clayton" (2007). On cable, he was delightful as a roguish Benjamin Franklin in the acclaimed miniseries "John...

Throughout his illustrious acting career, which included an Oscar-nominated performance for "In the Bedroom" (2001) which put him on the Hollywood map, Tom Wilkinson enjoyed wide prominence without having to suffer the burden of being a household name. True to his working class roots, Wilkinson remained relatively low-key and distinctly non-Hollywood, despite having starred in some of the new millennium's most significant films. He made his breakthrough the previous decade, however, starting with Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) and followed with "The Full Monty" (1997), a surprising hit in the United States despite its origins across the pond. He went on to play major roles in a wide array of films, from small independents like "In the Bedroom" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002) to Hollywood blockbusters like "Rush Hour" (1998) and "Batman Begins" (2005). Wilkinson delivered a memorable turn as the inventor of an experimental memory-erasing technique in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) and was a high-profile corporate attorney who loses his mind in "Michael Clayton" (2007). On cable, he was delightful as a roguish Benjamin Franklin in the acclaimed miniseries "John Adams" (HBO, 2008) and had an award-worthy turn as patriarch Joseph Kennedy in the miniseries "The Kennedys" (ReelzChannel, 2011), all which affirmed his status as one of acting's most respected and versatile talents.

Co-starred with Rhys Ifans, as father and son, in "A Number" for the BBC2

2010:

Played a Harvard Law Professor and suspected CIA agent in Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer"

2011:

Portrayed Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. in the eight-hour miniseries "The Kennedys"; developed for the History Channel, but after they declined to air it, it was shown on ReelzChannel

2011:

Nominated for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

2011:

Played a former Mossad agent in "The Debt"

2011:

Made a cameo in "Mission Impossible ¿ Ghost Protocol," directed by Brad Bird

2012:

Co-starred in the ensemble comedy drama "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

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Education

Kent University:
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Kent University:
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Royal Academy of Dramatic Art:
London , England -

Notes

"You should strike while the iron's at least tepid. I think one of the things that held me back is that I never have enough confidence in my ability. I was always very grateful when people gave me jobs. But now I'm not grateful ... I am grateful, but I don't think I should go on my hands and knees and thank them. Just in the last few years, things have come together, and you get a certain amount of recognition and I, foolishly, had to wait for that, until I felt 'I'm good at this.'" --Tom Wilkinson quoted in the London Times, March 21, 1998.

About his role in "Rush Hour" (1998), Wilkinson told a Canadian newspaper (January 1, 1999): "I thought it would be the end of my career but I took the part anyway so I could at least say I'd done an American film."